1. Two key concepts in this video are the means of production and labor. In your comment, explain how you understand the means of production and labor. Give an example of each.
  2. Another important concept in understanding social class is value. Based on the ideas presented in Video 5.1, what is value?  What give “value” to value, what makes something valuable? 
  3. How are labor and value related? What’s the relationship/connection between the two?
  4. How do you understand the difference between labor and labor power? Hint: this is a key difference, give it your best shot based on what the video says about it, and your own ideas. We’ll clarify and develop it in our discussions, and in my video comments.
  5. Surplus Value: what is it? Why is it important to know about, in our study of social classes? Think about an example of surplus value?

9 thoughts on “Discussion Board 5.1”

  1. 1. From what I understand, the means of production refers to the resources a privately owned entity obtains to produce goods and services . These resources can include machinery, land, tools and above all else, labor power. An example of means of production is a grocery store such as Trader Joes who uses it’s a building for its storefront, cash registers for transactions, delivery trucks for imported products and employees to help sell and organize the items for profit. Labor refers to the actual work done by people who are employed by this company, such as cashiers checking out the customers and stockers who unload the product to put out on the shelves for sale. The means of production provides the tools and structure, labor creates the value of the products sold for profit.

    2) Based on the video, value is represented as the worth something has within society and the economic system. Value comes from the amount of labor and resources that is invested into a product or service to make it profitable. For example, a pair of sneakers doesn’t hold value until a designer puts a specific design or logo on them, then it is passed on to be marketed by someone else who has to put in labor to network the item but before all of that, it takes someone else’s labor to even create the product through fabrics and rubber ( resources) that eventually make an item that people want to buy. Questions to consider when determining the ‘value’ of something is : ‘Is it useful?’ & ‘How much labor was put into making it?’

    3) Labor and value are related because it is labor that goes into producing a product or service which eventually turns into something people deem as valuable. For example, to reflect on my response in #2, until the fabric, rubber and/or leather is combined into making the sneaker/shoe, they hold little to no value on their own. When the person who assembles these various resources by using tools and machinery turns them into one product (the footwear), it can then be sold at whatever price the market and/or the owner of the production calls for.

    4) The difference between labor and labor power is that labor is the actual work that goes into producing a product or service, whereas labor power can only be found in people* and it correlates to the worker’s ability or potential to work. An example used in the video was the fact that many people depend on outside factors to get them through their shifts at work: transportation, food (energy), shelter, clothes etc..; Without some of these factors met outside of work, workers cannot produce labor power to get the job done.

    5) Surplus value is based on the extra value workers put into producing a product or service for the owner but does not see that returned back to them in wages. Capitalists depend on surplus value to keep on building wealth because they are only paying out a fraction of what workers produce compared to how much they’re actually making off of the product or service itself. For example, in factories across the world, there are workers putting in labor for wages as low as $3 an hour for one pair of shoes that’s being sold in America for $200. This is a clear indication of how capitalists continue to build wealth while workers remain under paid.

    1. Hello Elizabeth!
      I agree with your definition of these concepts, as you provide a very realistic account of how Marx’s ideas can be applied in our daily lives. The production process can be easily visualized with the help of Trader Joe’s. The building of the store, delivery trucks, cash registers, the shelves, and all the physical tools and systems possessed by the company are the perfect example of what Marx referred to as the means of production. They offer the framework and the machinery involved in the movement, display, and sale of goods. Without them, it would be impossible to make products for sale.

  2. 1) Means of production refers to the tools, machines, land, buildings and resources people use to produce goods and services. An example of this is a factory building and the materials used to make the products inside of it. Labor is worked done by people. for example a teacher or a constructor worker.

    2) According to the video, value is worth or importance of resources and services. value is also the amount of time and labor someone takes to make something. For example, a baker making bread, the physical and mental work and effort it takes to actually make the bread.

    3) Labor and value is related because labor is the main source of value. the effort and time people take to produce goods or their service is value.

    4) The difference between labor and labor power is that labor power is a persons ability to work while labor is a person actually working.

    5) Surplus value is the extra value the workers put in producing a product but that extra value is unpaid by their employers. For example factory workers paid only $80 for the day when they $300 worth of product that day.

  3. 1. The means of production are the tools, machines, factories, and resources needed to create goods. For example, a bakery oven and flour are part of the means of production. Labor, on the other hand, is the human effort and skills used to actually produce something. For example, a baker mixing dough and baking bread is labor.

    2. Value is the worth that a product or service has in society. According to the labor theory of value, something is valuable because of the amount of human labor that goes into producing it under normal conditions. For instance, a handmade wooden table has value not just because of the materials but because of the time, effort, and skill it takes to craft it.

    3. Labor and value are directly connected because the value of a product largely comes from the labor that goes into making it. Without labor, raw materials remain just raw materials. It is human work that transforms them into something useful and valuable. The more labor and skill required, the more valuable the product tends to be.

    4. Labor is the actual work that a person does for example, typing on a computer, building a house, or teaching a class. Labor power, on the other hand, is the worker’s ability or capacity to work that is sold to an employer in exchange for wages. In other words, workers don’t sell the finished product they make they sell their time and ability to work.

    5. Surplus value is the extra value created by workers’ labor that goes beyond what they are paid in wages, and this surplus is kept by the employer as profit. It’s important to study because it explains how inequality between social classes is maintained workers create more value than they receive, while owners benefit from the difference. For example, if a factory worker is paid $100 for a day’s work but produces goods worth $400, the $300 difference is surplus value that goes to the employer.

    1. Hi Divya! I concur with the manner in which you have expounded each of the concepts since they are easy to digest and relate to real-life situations. The bakery example demonstrates the process of production obviously, since the tools, the oven, the flour, etc, are the tools of production, whereas the baker is the one who combines the dough and the baking bread, which is labor. This completely shows that Marx meant when he said that the means of production give the structure and equipment, but it is human labor that sets them in motion to produce goods.

  4. 1. The means of production are the tools and resources that are needed to produce goods. These resources include machines, factories, and especially labor power. An example of means of production would be like at Chipotle where the means of production would be the produce like the lettuce, tomatoes, jalapeños, cheese, corn, cilantro, onions, rice and beans as well as the type of meats as well. The employees then use their labor and turn all of this into food that can then be served to customers. The labor would be all the hard work put in so customers could then eat this food the amount of labor put in to make something that can be sold determines it’s value.

    2. Based on the video I would describe value as the price something is worth when sold to other people. Something’s value is determined by the amount of labor taken into making it. The longer something takes to be produced makes it more valuable.

    3. Labor and value are related because labor affects something’s value. The more labor put into something makes it more valuable. However if something can be easily produced where a human isn’t needed or less people or things are needed to make it makes it less valuable.

    4. The difference between labor and labor power is that labor is the work that goes into the production of something where labor power is the ability to work and this can only be found in people and requires things such as food, clothes, transportation. In the video it discusses how a lot of outside factors impact someone’s ability to work such as their way of getting there or the clothes they need.

    5. Surplus value is based on the work put in by people in order to produce something that’ll later be sold. Workers don’t see their labor value returned to them in their wages. Capitalists depend on this surplus value because it’s how they make a profit which allows them to maintain their wealth. An example, would be in the fashion industry whee designer items are sold off for $200 sometimes even more but we all know the workers aren’t getting paid $200 for every shoe or clothing piece they make.

  5. 1) The means of production are the things used to make products. Such as, having land, tools, etc. These count as resources and tools used to make things. For example, in a bakery the oven and flour are the means of the production. While the bakers work is the labor.
    2) Value is what something is worth, and in the video it’s explained as labor. A product can have good value because of the amount of effort that is put into it. For example, a cake is not valuable because of its sugar. But it’s because of the time and effort spent mixing, baking and decorating on it. The hard labor put into makes it valuable so people can enjoy.
    3) Labor and value are connected because labor helps make something worth more than it is. For example, cake contains flour, sugar, eggs, etc. but it’s not the ingredients that make the cake valuable. But it’s basked on the baker cooking skills. Will be baked right? Will it have the right amount of mixing, eggs, etc. and the time to decorate to wow their costumers.
    4) Surplus value is the extra money the owners of companies make from their staff/ employee’s labor. For example if the baker makes a cake and sells it for $40 but only gets paid out of that 40, the owner gets to keep the rest. This is how owners make more profit

  6. 1. The means of production and labor are two significant ideas in the video. The means of production include tools, equipment, technology, and resources required to produce goods or services. As an example, a sewing machine, a cloth, and a scissors are some of the means of production used in the production of clothes. Labor to me is the human initiative and expertise that is applied to run those tools and convert the raw materials into finished products. An example is a seamstress who uses a sewing machine and cloth to create clothes, which is a form of labor.

    2. Value is not merely the price but socially necessary labor time which is needed to produce something in normal conditions. The value of something is determined by the level of human labor time and effort put in it. The training of a doctor is socially necessary labor time more than that of a cashier, and that is the reason why society values the profession more.

    3. Labor and value are related because labor is the source of value. Raw materials alone are not of much value but when labor is applied to them and converts them into completed goods, they gain value. Both the readings and the video emphasizes that it is only labor that can add new value to capital, but not machines or materials.

    4. How I understand labor and labor power is that the real work is labor, the hours you are working on creating something. Labor power refers to your aptitude or ability to work, which you sell to a worker. The ability should be sustained by food, shelter, and rest.

    5. Surplus value is the additional value produced when workers exceed what is necessary to maintain them (salaries). It is the gap between the value that workers generate and their wages. This idea is significant as it describes the manner in which capitalists make a profit and the reason Marx considered capitalism to be exploitative. To illustrate, when you labor four hours to earn your wage, and work eight hours per day, the extra four hours of labor create surplus value to your employer and not to you.

  7. 1. The means of production includes all of the physical resources such as tools materials and infrastructure that is used to produce goods or services. For example the a sewing machine would be considered apart of the means of production, while labor is a worker using their skills to sew clothing.

    2. Value is correlated to the amount of necessary labor time required to create a commodity. A commodity is rooted and how much human labor time went into creating an item or mastering a skill.

    3. Without labor raw materials wouldn’t become commodities of value human effort is what transforms raw materials into things that can be used or exchanged.

    4. Labor is the actual activity of the exertion of human effort in producing services and goods it includes the process of working and transforming materials. Labor power concludes the workers ability to do labor and their maximum potential of production this includes stamina, time,skills and capacity to work.

    5. Surplus value is the extra value produced by labor that is above the value equivalent to the workers wage this includes working above and beyond than what is necessary to reproduce the workers labor power. For example a worker is paid $100 a day which is enough to cover their living costs. In one day that worker produces goods that are worth $300 one sold and the extra surplus value left over is $200 which is the capitalist profit.

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